Chapter 1911: Plain and Simple Rivalry

As Lu Ye was pondering, five dense booming sounds suddenly resonated from within Abulo, and his aura simultaneously became extremely dangerous.

Lu Ye immediately understood that Abulo's strongest form had appeared.

He certainly couldn't unleash the Sixth Transformation; that was a secret art reserved for life-or-death situations, so it was impossible for him to use it against Lu Ye. However, this did not mean he lacked a more powerful state. Beyond the Five Transformations of the Barbarian Beast, Abulo possessed another technique. When activated, a portion of the enhancements gained from each of his previous five transformations would be retained within him, then simultaneously unleashed.

In essence, in this state, Abulo harmonized the augmentations from all five transformations. While this combined power also had its limits, it was undeniably more potent than simply the Fifth Transformation. Crucially, it neither depleted his reserves nor endangered his life. Every time he had clashed with Gusheng, their battles were decided in this very state. For years, only Gusheng had ever pushed him into this state, but today, Lu Ye had joined that exclusive group!

At this moment, Abulo bore no resemblance to any barbarian beast. Instead, he had reverted to his original form, albeit appearing significantly more imposing. As Lu Ye observed him, he felt as though Abulo had become a black hole, consuming everything in his vicinity. What surprised Lu Ye even more was the sudden appearance of a striking star-shaped emblem on Abulo’s forehead, a pattern that struck Lu Ye as unusually familiar.

Lu Ye paused, then quickly realized: Abulo had actually manifested the Body Flower, signifying he was a cultivator who had pushed the Star Constellation Realm to its absolute limit! Indeed, based on his prior knowledge of the Three Flowers secret art, it was an ancient method practiced by cultivators from antiquity. The prevailing cultivation environment of the present era was simply not conducive to its widespread adoption, leading to the Three Flowers technique being largely abandoned over time.

However, the Ancient Barbarian Realm, the homeland of the Barbarian race, had consistently preserved a cultivation environment akin to primeval times. Therefore, it was hardly surprising that Abulo, an elite among the Barbarian race, cultivated the Three Flowers technique. In fact, it could be argued that the Barbarian race was uniquely suited to cultivating the Three Flowers technique. Cultivators from other regions of the starry expanse simply lacked such advantageous and privileged conditions.

The manifestation of the Body Flower unequivocally indicated Abulo's readiness to unleash his full power, prompting Lu Ye's expression to turn solemn.

In a flash, the various phenomena swirling around Abulo vanished without a trace; even the Body Flower that had just appeared disappeared. At this moment, Abulo reverted to his normal state. Many cultivators in the spectator stands watched, perplexed, instinctively assuming that Abulo's secret technique had failed, leading to the disappearance of the unusual phenomena. However, Lu Ye, who directly confronted him, clearly understood that this was by no means a sign of a failed secret art. Instead, it indicated Abulo's perfect mastery over his own power, preventing any external release of energy.

This was intriguing! Just moments before, Lu Ye had questioned why a top-two expert on the Moon Pearl Rankings seemed to possess only this much power. Now, he realized the true extent of Abulo's capabilities.

"Come, let's fight!" Abulo uttered softly. No sooner had his words faded than an afterimage lingered in his original spot, while his true form lunged forward, launching an unstoppable punch directly at Lu Ye. Compared to before, his speed had increased by more than a mere fraction. The punch merely grazed Lu Ye’s body. As it landed, there was no outward dispersion of power, appearing as if an ordinary person had simply thrown a casual punch.

Yet, as Lu Ye drifted backward, he suddenly felt half his body go numb. The very next instant, the space where he had just stood shattered like a broken mirror. Although it quickly mended, it was enough to reveal the devastating power of that punch. A chill ran down his spine. This was merely from being brushed by the force of the punch; if he had taken a direct hit, even with his current physical prowess, he would likely have been instantly defeated.

Abulo was, without a doubt, the most formidable Moon Pearl cultivator Lu Ye had ever encountered. Lionheart, whom he had slain in the Myriad Forms Sea, was simply not in the same league.

Missing with the first punch, Abulo closed in, unleashing another. This time, Lu Ye did not evade, raising his saber to meet the assault. The instant fist and saber clashed, a violent boom resonated across the entire arena, yet nothing more.

A moment later, the expressions of the cultivators in the stands grew peculiar. This was because the fighting style of the two combatants in the arena had become quite unusual. Their speed was no longer exceptionally fast, a stark contrast to the dazzling intensity seen earlier. Even a Star Constellation cultivator could clearly discern their every attack and defense. Even more puzzling and peculiar was that with every clash, only sound was emitted; there was no discernible spiritual energy discharge, nor any brilliant, dazzling light. Yet, both figures, one larger and one smaller, wore solemn expressions and fought with utmost seriousness. To be frank, even a skirmish between nascent Spirit Stream Realm cultivators would appear more engaging than this bout.

The Star Constellation cultivators couldn't grasp the deeper meaning, perceiving only that Lu Ye and Abulo's exchange was far less spectacular than Abulo's clashes with Gusheng. When Abulo and Gusheng fought, it was a cataclysmic clash, a fiery and intense battle that often left spectators awestruck. In contrast, this current fight seemed... underwhelming.

However, some Moon Pearl cultivators were deep in thought.

Beside Walnut, her master involuntarily straightened, observing the contest in the arena with a grave expression, a look of incredulity on her face. "These two... these two..."

"Master, what's wrong?" Walnut had never seen her master display such an expression—a mixture of surprise, shock, and even a touch of yearning.

The woman fixed her gaze intently on the two figures in the arena, exclaiming, "Indeed, new talents emerge with each generation! If these two can ascend to Sun Radiance, their futures will undoubtedly be boundless. No, with their current aptitude and foundation, ascending to Sun Radiance is virtually guaranteed."

Walnut's eyes darted, and she remarked, feigning ignorance, "They're just fighting like this. Master, what exactly did you see?" She had a vague inkling but, limited by her perception, couldn't be certain and wished for her master's insights.

The woman replied, "What do you know? Don't assume they are incapable just because their fight isn't visually spectacular. In reality, these two have achieved an astonishing level of control over their power. This is precisely why there are no wasted ripples or collateral damage from each clash; all their power is directed precisely. Few in the entire starry expanse can accomplish this."

"What about you, Master?" Walnut asked.

The woman remained silent. Under ordinary circumstances, she could certainly achieve such control. However, facing an equally matched opponent would make it impossible. When contending with someone of comparable strength, one fights to the death, and in such a desperate struggle, who can perfectly control their own power? She could not, yet those two young cultivators in the arena could. In that single aspect, she acknowledged their superiority.

Within the arena, Abulo’s expression remained intensely serious and composed, yet the astonishment in his eyes was impossible to mask. Lu Ye’s ability to withstand his Five Transformations of the Barbarian Beast was already astounding. Who would have thought that even in his current amplified state, Abulo would find himself unable to effectively counter his opponent?

It was well known that even Gusheng dared not directly confront him in this state. Of course, Gusheng was a spell cultivator, and thus could never engage him in this physical manner. Yet, this human before him had managed precisely that. He had employed a secret art; what about his opponent? From start to finish, he had not witnessed his opponent using any secret technique to augment his power. In other words, the strength Lu Ye displayed at this moment was simply his inherent capability in his normal state.

This was truly astonishing!

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he noticed Lu Ye’s aura suddenly shift. In that instant, Abulo felt an overwhelming sense of danger. Knowing that Lu Ye was about to unleash a killing move, he dared not hesitate, immediately concentrating his mind to respond. Yet, what struck him as odd was that Lu Ye showed no sign of employing a killing blow, merely striking down with his saber as before.

As Abulo raised an arm to block, his other hand clenched into a fist and struck towards Lu Ye's chest. As the Mountain Sunderer Saber descended, the moment its blade made contact with Abulo's arm, Lu Ye's right hand, gripping the saber, along with the weapon itself, began to vibrate intensely in small, rapid movements. This vibration was almost imperceptible without direct physical contact. To outside observers, Lu Ye’s saber strike appeared no different from his previous ones.

Blood splattered!

Abulo's expression registered a hint of surprise, and the cultivators observing from the stands let out a collective gasp. Abulo was injured! The Moon Pearl ultimate powerhouse, whose formidable physique brought despair to cultivators of his own level, had actually been injured!

This was something Gusheng had never accomplished. In their previous clashes, a victor would emerge, and Gusheng would sometimes suffer injuries, but Abulo had never been harmed. This was because none of Gusheng's techniques could penetrate Abulo's terrifyingly resilient physique. Whenever Gusheng emerged victorious, it was invariably because Abulo could no longer sustain his secret technique of the Five Transformations Unified. Powerful as this art was, its intensity came at a high cost, and Abulo could only maintain it for a limited duration.

But today, under a seemingly ordinary saber strike, Abulo was wounded and bled. His blood was not a normal red, but a dark, almost black crimson, a unique characteristic of the Barbarian race. This unprecedented, bewildering battle instantly ignited the fervor of every cultivator in the stands. While their fight was undeniably lacking in visual spectacle, this unpretentious clash clearly harbored extreme danger.

The pain from his arm did not affect Abulo in the slightest. Disregarding it completely, the force of his unleashed punch intensified even further. At this point, Lu Ye had no time to evade. Layer upon layer of Sacred Guardian Spirit Runes materialized before his chest, reaching over a dozen in the blink of an eye. Given his current mastery as a late-stage Moon Pearl cultivator, each layer of Sacred Guardian Spirit Runes was capable of withstanding a blow from a Moon Pearl cultivator of equal standing. Yet, against Abulo, he dared not show the slightest carelessness. Had there been more time, he would have inscribed far more than just a dozen layers of Sacred Guardian runes.

With a resounding crash, as Abulo's punch landed, all dozen-plus layers of Sacred Guardian shattered, and Lu Ye's chest suffered a violent impact.